AAC Innovative Advising Award Winners Amanda Jacobson and Erica Langley

University of Arkansas

Left: Erica Langley Right: Amanda Jacobson

Erica Langley and Amanda Jacobson were the inaugural winners of the Innovative Advising Award from the Academic Advising Council. The Innovative Advising Award is presented to advisers who have made contributions to the field of academic advising that are innovative, creative and impactful. Langley and Osborn's nominations gave numerous examples of their work addressing current problems in new and effective ways.  

Erica Langley
Erica Langley serves as an academic counselor for the College of Education and Health Professions. Langley was instrumental in instituting admissions workshops for pre-nursing students looking to be accepted into the nursing program. Langley created these workshops to ensure that students had the opportunity to gain information about the process while the campus switched to remote operations. When asked what she likes best about working with students, Langley responded, "I love getting to meet our interesting, innovative and intelligent students! They are so fun to talk to and constantly amaze me with their knowledge and life stories/experiences. The nursing students are especially sweet and kind. It is a pleasure to support and advise such amazing individuals."

Amanda Jacobson
Amanda Jacobson serves as an academic adviser for the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Jacobson's nomination recognized her as someone who was unafraid of change. She developed a system to help reduce the rates of missed appointments and thereby increase the number of students who are seen in a timely manner. She also designed a series of webinars for transfer students during the past academic year. Jacobson stated that working with students "has taught me, that as an adviser, lending a listening ear can be extremely powerful. Finding the patience to let students think through their situation out loud will often lead them to solving their own issues. Sometimes they just need another person there to give them confidence in their choices."